Printing press



W. M. KELLY PRINTING PRESS Feb. 11, 1936.

Filed July 7, v1955 3 Sheets-Shefel l Avk m,

dbtozmu Feb. l1, 1936. w. M. KELLY 2,030,173

PRINTING PRESS Filed July 7, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 11, 1936.

w. M. KELLY 2,030,173

PRINTING PRESS Filed July '7, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNlTD STATES PATENT OFFICE PRINTING PRESS Application July 7, 1933, Serial No. 679,429

10 Claims.

This invention relates to gearing and more particularly to that type of gearing which is adapted to be employed in the bed motions of printing presses.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of novel and improved gearing of this character which is compact, efficient in operation, and Well adapted to positively and easily reciprocate the bed of a printing press to which is may be 10 applied.

As is well-known in the art, the bed motion of a printing press of the horizontally reciprocating bed type generally embodies means for reciprocating the bed at a uniform rate o-f speed through the intermediate and greater portion of each stroke, and further means for gradually retarding, reversing, and accelerating the movement of the bed at the end portions of each stroke in order to avoid a sudden reversal of the bed and a conse- 20 quent shock to the bed frame, driving gear, and printing mechanism. This gearing is at best somewhat complicated, and in prior mechanisms of this type, exceedingly large gears or pinions have been employed. These gears have been of considerable vertical and longitudinal extent and have occupied considerable space within and adjacent to the frame of the press. In presses of large capacity, the weight of these gears has also been a factor to be considered in providing adegl) quate balanced support for the bed motion.

By means of the present invention, however, there is provided a bed motion which is exceedingly compact in arrangement, embodying in its construction gears or pinions of substantially no greater diameter than that of the impression cylinder of the press, thus rendering both the installation and operation of the gearing easy, and distributing and materially reducing the Weight of the moving parts.

te In its preferred embodiment, the invention contemplates the application of this novel gearing to a printing press of the two-revolution type which comprises an impression cylinder and a reciprocating bed adapted to execute a forward printing '15 stroke and an idle stroke in the reverse direction. Although especially applicable to this type df press, the invention in its broader aspects, however, is not limited thereto but may be employed in connection with various other types of print- 50 ing presses: and mechanical devices designed to execute similar movements.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a novel form of alternating rotary gearing which is featured by compactness and simplicity 55 of construction.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which one embodiment of my invention is 6o illustrated by Way of example.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a partly diagrammatic View in side elevation of a two-revolution printing press to which my improved gearing has been applied, a portion of the nearer side frame being broken 5 away in order to more clearly illustrate certain parts of the gearing;

Figure 2 is a plan view of my novel bed motion gearing applied to the press frame, with the superstructure of the press removed for the sake of clearness of illustration;

Figure 3 is a detail View in horizontal crosssection on a somewhat larger scale taken on line 3--3 of Figure 4;

Figure 4 is a view in front elevation of the press, 15 portions of the supporting frame and of the operating mechanism being broken away for the sake of clearness; and

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the synchronism of operation of the more important elements of my improved bed motion.

The supporting base of the press, designated generally by the numeral I0, comprises the side frame members II and I2 and the tie frame I5 which is preferably of metal and cast in a single piece. The tie frame casting I5 is approximately H-shaped in plan, having a substantially centrally located longitudinal web I6, an end web il, and a transverse web I8 which is disposed adjacent the mid-portion of the press. The ends of the transverse members Il and I8 are rigidly secured to the side frames Il and I2 by suitable means.

An impression cylinder of conventional type is indicated at 20 and is mounted on a shaft or 35 axle i9 which has its bearings in the usual vertically disposed members 2l. The press, of course, is provided with a feed table, such as is shown at 22, and a delivery mechanism illustrated at 23 in Figure l of the drawings. 'The 40 inking mechanism is shown at 24 and is connected to the driving mechanism by any suitable or conventional means. The cylinder gear 25 is also rotated by this driving mechanism as will be described. The reciprocating type bed 30 car- 45 ries the usual form 3l and is mounted upon the roller frames 32 which travel in the parallel tracks or ways 33.

The type bed is provided with a main driving rack 35 which is in constant mesh with the driv- 50 ing pinion 36 carried by the oscillating shaft 31, the actuation of which will be described hereinafter. Because of the location of shaft 31, that is to say, substantially in the vertical plane containing the axis of the impression cylinder, rack 35 does not need to project at one end of the bed in order to remain in contact with its driving gear 36. Expressed in another way, the axis of shaft 31 is located substantially directly below the transverse center line of the bed when the 00 latter is in mid position. Reversing racks 38 and 36 are provided at the respective ends of the type bed 35 and are alternately engageable by the reversing segment 46. The operation of this reversing mechanism is substantially as set forth in my prior Patent No. 1,777,092 and will be described in detail further along in the present specification. y

Power from a suitable source is supplied to the operating mechanism of the press by means of a belt (not shown) which is trained around the pulley 42 keyed to one end of the shaft 43 Which has its bearings, .as at 44 and 45, in the side frame El and the central web I6 of the tie frame respectively. A pinion 46 is secured to the shaft 33 intermediate its length and meshes with a larger gear 41 which is rigidly secured upon the shaft 46 which also has its bearings in the supporting base as at 49 and 56. Also secured upon the shaft 48, preferably at its outer end, is the pinion 5i. A pair of pinions 52 and 53, each of the same diameter as the cylinder gear 25, are disposed 'm intermeshing relation, and the gear 5| is adapted to mesh with pinion 52. The pinions 52 and 53 are secured upon the shafts 54 and 55 respectively, both of which are mounted for rotation in the supporting base I 0 in suitable bearings, as indicated at 56, 51, 58, and 59. As clearly shown in Figure 2, the gear train 5l, 52, and 53 is preferably arranged outside of and parallel with one of the side frames Il.

In the arrangement illustrated and described, it will be understood that the pinions 52 and 53 rotate at a constant rate of speed but in opposite directions, the directions of such rotation being indicated by the arrows 66 and 6| in Figure 1. Gear segments 62 and 63 are secured upon the shafts 54 and 55 respectively so as to rotate in different planes, as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. These segments are, in the particular application of the invention disclosed, of an angular extent of 240, are of somewhat small er diameter than their associated pinions 52 and 53, and are located between these pinions and the side frame l i of the press.

For the purpose of providing an alternating connection between the oscillatable bed driving shaft 3i and the gear segments 62 and 63, a sliding gear 65 is mounted upon the shaft 31, being splined for rotation therewith, as at 66, but free to move longitudinally thereof for a limited distance. The sliding gear 65 is secured to or formed integrally with the sleeve 61 which surrounds the shaft 31 and has a bearing at 68 in the side frame member l l. The inner end of the sleeve 61 is provided with a groove 69 within which is disposed the pin 1B carried by one end of the lever 1| which is fulcrumed in the bracket 'l2 carried by the frame member Il. The opposite end of the lever 1i is provided with a pin and roller projection 13 which is guided in the cam groove 14 formed in the constantly rotating cam member 15. The cam 15 is carried by a shaft 16 rotatably mounted in suitable bearings in the base frame and driven preferably from the shaft 54 by means of the gears 11 and 18. 'I'he ratio of the gearsv 11 and 18 is such that the cam 15 makes one complete revolution for each two revolutions of the shaft 54 and consequently of the gears 52 and 53 and their associated segments 62 and 63.

The details of construction of the reversing mechanism for the type bed 3U will now be deferred to, is carried by the lever which is fulcrumed approximately centrally of its length upon a stationary bearing sleeve or bushing 8| through which the bed drive shaft 31 extends. The opposite end of the lever 80 is pivotally connected as at 82 with the pitman or cross-head connection 85, which is driven from the crosshead 86 to which it is connected as at 81. This cross-head 86 is adapted to reciprocate horizontally in the guides 9| (Figure 2) with simple harmonic motion. This cross-head forms a part of the familiar Scotch yoke. The cross-head 86 is provided with a vertical slot 88 within which the block 69 of the crank 90 is adapted to move, the block 89 being pivotally mounted upon the crank arm 96. The crank arm 90 is carried by the shaft 43, which is designed to make three revolutions during each cycle of reciprocation of the bed, this being governed by the ratio of the gears 5I, 52, etc; Thus it will be seen that the segment 40 will make three complete oscillations for each cycle of operation of the press.

The impression cylinder gear 25, carried by the cylinder axle I9, is driven from the pinion 53 through the intermediate gears 96 and, as indicated heretofore, is of the same diameter as the two pinions 52 and 53.

The operation of my improved bed motion will now be described. As already explained, the driving segments 62 and 63 are of an angular extent of 240 and make two revolutions at a uniform 2.1:.

angular velocity for each complete cycle of movement of the bed of the press. The bed driving shaft 31 is alternately engageable with the segments 62 and 63 by means of the sliding gear 65 which is moved from the plane of one of the seg- I! ments to the plane of the other during the hiatus provided by the gaps in these segments. This movement of the sliding gear 65 is effected twice during the press cycle by means of the cam 15. Each of the segments 62 and 63 is adapted to move the type bed 30 at a constant speed through the mid-portion of its printing and idle strokes respectively, and since the angular extent of the segments is 240, they are operative for two thirds of each stroke.

The segment 63 may be designated the printing stroke segment since it is employed to effect the movement of the type bed during the contact of the type form with the matter carried by the impression cylinder. The segment 62 is therefore the idle stroke segment since it is operatively connected with the drive shaft 31 and driving pinion 36 during the return or idle stroke of the bed. At the end of each stroke the printing and idle segments are, of course, disengaged, and the retarding, reversal, and acceleration of the bed are effected by means of the reversing segment 40, which alternately engages the reversing racks 38 and 36 for this purpose.

Taken in the sequence in which these driving means are effective, beginning with the position shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, a 4complete cycle of operation will be explained. In Figure 1 the bed is at its extreme left-hand position. The reversing segment 46 has just completed the retarding and reversing movement of the bed in engagement with the reversing rack 39. The cross-head 36 is at its extreme right-hand dead center position and about to be moved by the crank 96 in passing through the upper half of its orbit. Both of the segments 62 and 63 are out of engagement with the driving shaft gear 65 during this reversal movement. 'Ihe segment 40 next moves toward the right and is in effectivey driving engagement with the reversing rack 39 portion of the printing stroke, reverses the move- Vfor the initial one sixth of the time of its printing Then the printing segment 63 engages stroke.

Upon disengagement of the segment 63 with the gear 65, the latter is moved into the plane of the idle segment 62 While the reversing segment 40 engages the rack 38 and, during the retarding ment of the bed and starts the bed on its idle or reverse stroke at accelerating speed. Then the idle stroke segment 62 engages the sliding gear 65, causing the drive gear 36, through the main rack 35, to move the bed 30 through the central two thirds of its idle stroke, whereupon the rel versing segment 40 again engages the rack 39 and retards the bed preparatory to the next reversal thereof.

As heretofore explained, the reversing segment 40 makes six movements during a complete cycle of the press, and naturally two of these move-l ments are idle ones which occur during the effective operation of the printing and idle segments 463 and 62.

'Ihe synchronous sequential operations of the more important elements of the bed motion are graphically illustrated in Figure of the drawings. From this diagram it will be readily seen that the bed of the press, the movement of which is depicted by Graph I, executes a printing stroke indicated by the line af and a reverse idle stroke indicated by the line fk. As has been already explained, the printing gear segment 63 makes two revolutions for each cycle of the press, indicated by the distance alc. The Graph II shows the operative and inoperative portions of the printing segment cycle. The operative portion indicated between the points b and e represents two thirds (240) of one revolution. During the l remainder of this cycle, indicated by the dotted lines, the other actuating members are operative as indicated in the further graphs. Graph III shows between y andy' the operative phase of the Y`idler gear segment.

In Graph VI the cam 'i5 is shown in projected form. It will be noted that immediately after the completion of the eifective portion of the printing stroke cycle at e the cam track shifts laterally to carry the sliding gear 65 over into the plane of the idler segment. Then, of course, after the completion of the idler stroke at point y', the cam again moves the sliding gear back to the plane of the printing segment.

Graph V represents the three revolutions of the crank 90 which actuates the reversing segment 40, and in the Graph IV the resulting movements of the reversing segment il during the press cycle are shown. Specifically, the reversing segment makes six movements upon its pivot during the cycle, namely, ac, cd, df, fh, ik.

" During a portion of the stroke ac, the reversing segment operates in mesh with the reversing rack 39 on the type bed to initiate the printing stroke; during the return oscillation cd, the reversing segment is ineffective as regards moving the type bed; and in the latter portion of the stroke .df and the early portion of the stroke fh, the reinvention the main driving segments are of 240.

in extent and the reversing segment operates during the remaining 120 of rotation of those segments, it will be realized that the arcuate length of the main segments may be varied and, by appropriate alterations in the gearing, the periodh of eiective engagement of the reversing segment may be increased or diminished accordingly.

It will be understood that various other changes and modifications can be made in the embodi--l ment illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as dened by the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Let-? ters Patent is:--

i. A bed motion for a printing press of the two-revolution type provided with a frame and a reciprocating bed thereon adapted to execute a forward printing stroke and a reverse idle strokef'- including, in combination, a pair of gear segments of at least 240 extent rotatively mounted adjacent each other on the frame, the axes of said segments being in the same horizontal plane, one

segment being located next to the frame and the-'535 other one gear Width therefrom, means for rotating said segments in opposite directions at the same constant angular velocity at the rate of two revolutions for each complete cycle of reciprocation of said bed, and means alternately driven byf-'f--'m said segments and operatively connected with said bed for effecting reciprocation of the same at a uniform velocity for more than one-half of each stroke.

2. A bed motion for a printing press of the two-revolution type provided with a frame and a reciprocating bed thereon adapted to execute a forward printing stroke and a reverse idle stroke, including, in combination, a pair of gear segments of at least 240 extent rotatively mounted adjacent each other on the frame, the axes of said segments being in the same horizontal plane, one segment being located next to the frame and the other one gear Width therefrom, means for rotating said segments in opposite directions at the' same constant angular velocity at the rate of two revolutions for each complete cycle of reciprocation of said bed, means alternately driven by said segments and operatively connected with said bed for eifecting reciprocation of the same at a uniform velocity for more than one-half of each stroke, and means located within the frame for reversing the movement of said bed at the end of each stroke.

3. A bed motion for a printing press of thev two-revolution type provided with a reciprocating bed adapted to execute a forward printing stroke and a reverse idle stroke, including, in

combination, a pair of gear segments rotatively*4 mounted adjacent each other on the press withy their axes in substantially the same horizontal plane, means for rotating said segments in opposite directions at the same constant angular velocity, at the rate of two revolutions for each complete cycle of reciprocation of said bed. means alternately driven by said segments and operatively connected with said bed for effecting reciprocation of the same at a uniform velocity for more than one-half of each stroke, said last named means comprising a rack secured to said bed, a pinion continually in mesh with said rack, a shaft on which said pinion is secured, shaft being supported substantially directly below the transverse center line of 'the bed when in mid position and with its axis in substantially the same horizontal plane as the axes of said segments, and another pinion on said shaft adapted to alternately mesh with said gear segments.

4. A bed motion for a printing press including, in combination, a pair of gear segments rotatively mounted. adjacent each otr. er on the press and disposed in separate planes, means for rotating said segments in opposite direc fons at the same constant angular velocity, a gear operatively connected with said bed for effecting its reciprocation at a uniform velocity for more than onehalf of each stroke, and for moving said gear from the plane on er said segments to the plane of the other of se d segments for alternating engagements therewith the axes of said gear and gear segments being in substantially the same horizcnial plane.

5. In a reciprocating hed motion the combination with a bed, of riving said bed in alternate opposite directions, comp-rising means for moving said bed through the major portion of the stroke thereof, comprising a pair of oppositely rotating gear segments of an angular extent of 240", a gear operatively connected with said bed, the axes of and gear segments being in substantially the same horizontal plane, means for autornaticaliy engaging said gear alternately with said segments, means for effecting the reve sal of said bed at the end oi each stroke comprising oscillating reversing segment adapted for intermittent engagement with said bed, a Scotch yose transmission mechanism, a pitman connecting said segment with said mechanism, and common driving means for said rst named segments and said mechanism.

6. In a. printing ress provided with a sup-- porting frame, a reciprocating type bed, and a rotary impression cylinder, combination, driving mechanism. comprising a pair or" intermeshing pinions, means for driving said pinions in opposite directions at the same constant angular velocity, a gear segment associated with each of said pinions and partaking of the same movements as its associated pinion, the two segments occupying different planes, an impression cylinder gear of the sarnA diameter as said pinions, gearing connecting said cylinder gear with one of said pinions, a gear operatively connected with said type bed for effecting its reciprocaticn at a uniform velocity for more ti an one-haii' of each stroke, and means for mov g gear from the plane of one of said to the plane of the other of said segments for alternating engagements therewith.

'7. In a. printing press provided with a supporting frame, a reciprocating type and a rotary impression cylinder, in con ation, driving mechanism comprising a pa of parallel shafts carried by said frame, a of intermeshing pinions disposed exteriorly of said frame and each carried by one of said shafts, means for driving said pinions in opposite directions at the same constant angular velocity, a gear segment of 240 of angular extent mounted upon each of said shafts between said frameand said pinions and partalring of the same movements as its associated pinion, the two segmentsn occupying diiferent planes, an impression cylinder gear of the same diameter as said pinions,

gearing connecting said cylinder gear with one of said pinions, a gear operatively connected with said type bed for effecting the major portion of its reciprocation, and means for moving said gear from the plane of one of said segments to the plane of the other of said segments for alternating engagements therewith.

8. In a printing press, in combination, a sup-m porting frame, a reciprocating type bed thereon, driving mechanism. for said bed including a pair of parallel shafts carried by said fra-me, a pair of intermeshing pinions dispo-sed exteriorly of said frame and. each carried by one of said shafts, means for driving said pinions in opposite directions at the same constant angular velocity, a gear segment of 240 angular extentmounted upon each of said shafts between said frarneand said pinions and partaking of the same movements as its associated pinion, the two segments being disposed in different planes, a gear operatively connected with said type bed for effecting the major portion of its reciprocation, and. means for moving said gear from the plane of one of said segments into the plane of the other of said segments for alternative engagements there-with.

9. In a printing press, in combination, a supporting frame, a reciprocating type bed having a rack on the under side thereof, a rotary mpression cylinder, driving mechanism including three shafts supported in said frame with their aires in substantially the same horizontal plane, the of the middle shaft being substantially vertically under the axis of said cylinder, a gear cn said middle shaft meshing with said rack, a pair of equal size intermeshing gears on said outer shafts located outside said frame, a gear egment on each of said outer shafts disposed in different planes and between said meshing gears and said frame and each rotatable with one of said meshing gears, a gear splined on said middle shaft outside said frame, and means to move said splined gear from the plane of one of said gear segments into the plane of the other for alternative engagements therewith.

l0. A bed motion for a printing press of the two revolution type provided with a frame and a reciprocating bed thereon adapted to execute av forward printing stroke and a reverse idle stroke, including, in combination, a pair of gear segments rotatively mounted adjacent each other on the frame, the axes of said segments being in the same horizontal plane, each of said segments being of an angular for rotating said segments in opposite directions the same constant angular velocity, at the rate or" two revolutions for each complete cycle of reciprocation of said bed, and means alternately driven by said segments and operativelyv connected with said bed for effecting reciprocation of the same at a uniform velocity for more than one-half of each stroke including an axially slidable gear with its axis in the same plane as the axes of said segments.

WILLIAM M. KELLY extent of 240, means 

